THE CAUSE: On June 15, the city Planning Department released the Staten Island West Shore-Land Use & Transportation Study on its Web site. Their transportation plan for West Shore calls for a dedicated bus lane along the West Shore Expressway’s right of way — not a light rail train system that was (supposedly) studied by the city’s Economic Development Corporation and the Port Authority, and advocated for by many Staten Islanders.

THE OBVIOUS EFFECT: With the city promoting a dedicated bus lane, Islanders again will be at the mercy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and their horrible bus service. The MTA recently enacted drastic service cuts across the Island. No Staten Islander can reasonably expect them to actually expand service on the Island — in 2030 or in any century.

THE HIDDEN EFFECT: The Port Authority will probably not design and re-construct the Bayonne Bridge to contain a proposed light rail line into New Jersey. (Two of the possible light rail routes were from Tottenville and the South Shore to New Jersey using the West Shore Expressway’s right of way for part of the route before the crossing over the Bayonne Bridge and connecting with NJ Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Line into Hoboken.)

The PA’s rational for eliminating the light rail line from the bridge’s redesign would be “why spend millions on designing and constructing a bridge for a rail line when there are no tracks leading to it?” This will be the Authority’s cop-out/escape clause for ensuring that Staten Islanders are forever using their cars (and paying PA tolls) to leave the Island to go anywhere or do anything.

This is just another example of Manhattan-based politicians and power brokers saying that they listen to Staten Islanders regarding our wants and needs, then turning around and doing whatever the heck they want.